Düsseldorf, Germany — Intravis GmbH has rolled out two new systems for vision inspection of plastics packaging, plus the IntraOptimizer, a machine learning system that ties all the data together from Intravis equipment and the injection molding machine, including hot runners and cavity pressure, to recommend actions to optimize production.
During K 2019, Intravis also showed new systems to inspect caps at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag Plastics Machinery GmbH's booth and a preform inspection line at Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
"We are thrilled to be able to show products at so many other partner stands this year, in addition to our own stand, and thus present our wide range of solutions for the plastics packaging industry," Gerd Fuhrmann, managing director at Intravis, said during K 2019 in Düsseldorf.
The IntraOptimizer collects data and uses artificial intelligence to improve how the entire system works, said Scott Heins, director of sales and marketing of Intravis Inc., the German company's U.S. operation in Norcross, Ga. The controller gives a history of the data and the system figures out the best way to keep the process running in the best way, he said. The machine operator gets recommendations, with are weighted by probability and can be listed by priority.
At the Sumitomo Demag booth, a CapWatcher Q-Line checked caps made on a 72-cavity mold running on an El-Exis SP 300-500 injection press. The CapWatcher was sold to Niagara Bottling LLC, the bottled water major.
James Napier, sales manager at Intravis Inc., said the CapWatcher Q-Line has eight cameras, set up in line, that do full inspection of every aspect of the closure — zipping past at 60 caps per second.
"It's a true full inspection of the part," he said. The system checks for things such as sealing elements, threads and the tamper evident band — and, according to the company, it is the first inline inspection that also measures temperatures of the closures. That allows companies to accurately predict the shrinkage behavior of closures and optimize the injection molding process.
The cap system, like Intravis' preform inspection system, the PreMon, can be important tools in using recycled resin. Both kick bad parts out into a separate bin, for example caps or preforms with black specks. The systems can be set to decide which parameters determine a bad part going to the discard bin or a part that doesn't meet specifications but can be recycled, which goes into another bin.
European customers who will have to meet tethered cap regulations in the future will also be able to use CapWatcher to oversee another level of complexity.
The company's CapFeeder orients the caps and transports them to the CapWatcher Q-Line, at up 80 closures per second.
At Husky, Intravis presented a new innovation for PET preforms, the PreMon. It checks opaque or transparent preforms. Cameras inspect preforms for top sealing performance, color, length of the injection point, short shots and ovality.
